Sun Myung Moon
December 31, 1973
Belvedere, Tarrytown, New York
Translated by Won Pok Choi

As I officially announced, the years 1972, 1973, and 1974 are the most spiritual and most historical years in the providence of God. In 1972 and 1973 we mobilized only a handful of people, but we have done quite a lot of things of significance in God's providence. From the point of view of providential significance, we know that America is not for America alone. Centered upon this land of America, we are going to develop the providence of God by our own effort. God has been preparing this nation for that purpose. We now see clearly that this nation is stalemated, at a dead-end, without having an opening to the everlasting future. Not only this nation, but the rest of the nations in the world are also stalemated, in a sense. If we leave this situation alone and go on like this, we'll come to no good end.

But can we find a breakthrough or a nation where we can work the providence of God anywhere else than in the United States? We can safely say no. Within this nation, too, there doesn't seem to be any breakthrough, and there doesn't seem to be anyone who can lead this nation past this dead-end. We know too well that this nation is blessed in the material sense more than the whole world, but otherwise, in the spiritual sense nothing in this nation excels.

In this nation, when we look around, we expect religious groups to do the job. Among all religions, we could expect Christianity to do the job, but in this nation the Christian leaders are powerless to do the job. During this decade, Christian society has been faced with corruption and decay, so we cannot say that there's any breakthrough in that society. There's no such denomination or any religious sect that can carry out the job. There's no such group to save this nation or the whole world.

In this reality, if there's any such group at all, it is going to be our group. We have already proclaimed that we are going to save this nation and the nations of the whole world, and not only this world, but the other side, the spirit world, we are going to liberate the whole cosmos from satanic bondage, and liberate God and allow Him to take His Sabbath. All through human history, as we see in the past, there was no such group as ours -- and not in the present, nor in the future.

God called us, and He gave us the mission to save this nation and the whole world. Beginning from 1972, our motto for two years was the same, "Let us safeguard the unified front." When we say, "Let us safeguard our unified front," it means we will safeguard ourselves as individuals, our nation as a whole, and the whole world, protecting and keeping the whole world safe and intact from satanic invasion. Just imagine: God is looking down upon the whole world, and there's only one small group like ours. There's no other group whom God can rely on. God has prepared for eternity. But among the Christians, there is no such group as ours, so God is a pitiful God; He can rely solely on us, no one else.

Seen from that viewpoint, you must realize how important and how vital we, the individuals in our family, are. We are not just individuals; we are in the position to take responsibility for the whole population of the world. We must realize that God is relying upon us to carry out the mission of saving the whole world -- our mission is so great. Would God want you to stop right where we are or advance forward? Can you safeguard the unified front by stopping where you are?

Only by advancing forward can you safeguard the unified front and fight through the way. We are the solid point of God's hope, the fruition of His hope and realization of His ideal. Whether or not you bring failure to God's providence or success to His providence depends solely on you. You have to create the situation in which God will be glad to say, "You have done a good job.'' We must be fruitful as the fruition of God's whole effort throughout history, and we must take responsibility for the salvation of the whole world at the present; we must be able to shoulder the responsibility for the rest of our lives. Out of the whole population of the world, we are in the central part of God's providence. When you don't stop where you are but advance forward with responsibilities on your shoulders, then God's hope will be on us, and we will realize God's ideal through ourselves.

God is a historical God. And God is the God of the present, and the God of the future. We must be the group seen by God as the good and reliable group, from His viewpoint of past, present and future. If we are the only group on whom God can rely, how great His expectation must be. God would want us to use our five senses, and to do anything in place of Him. What nation will God see with His eyes? I think He's looking at the United States right now.

If it had not been for our group visiting this nation, God would be a disappointed God. But with our group present in this nation, He has hope. We must realize again how important our nation is. We must cling to this nation and not let it go, until we realize our mission. We must make the whole world great in the providence of God. If you are resolved to make this nation the leading one of this great world, God will be ahead of us, paving the way for us. If we carry out the mission in this nation, while we are doing the job all over the world in the rest of the nations, then God will rely on us, and will pave the way for the rest of the nations, too.

If that is true, can we stop here or advance forward? Can we just become bystanders, looking at others doing the job? If you are in that position, what must your attitude be, and where are you bound? Can you go wherever you want? Suppose God has already set the goal ahead of us; we cannot go zigzag; and we cannot go astray. We cannot follow the example of the religions in the past that were not able to carry out God's providence. Up to the present, all religious sects sought only individual salvation. We cannot follow them.

Instead of being indebted to anyone or to God, we must have God indebted to us. We must be newly resolved to save this nation and drive this nation towards the goal; not only this nation, but the nations of the whole world. In all ways, whatever you do, wherever you go, you must bear in mind that you are responsible for the salvation of this nation; you must be on the job every moment of your life. Our members in many nations are focusing their attention and concentrating their efforts on saving those nations where they are stationed. You are mobilized to do the job in this nation. You must advance forward in the vanguard of other people in other nations. You must resolve that the United States does not exist solely for you but you exist and are living for the United States. You cannot expect this nation to safeguard you. so you are going to safeguard this nation. You are pioneering in this nation, to save this nation. So you cannot expect any others or this nation to "help me." but we must be waiting to help this nation.

We have mind and body in ourselves. Our mind should be associated with God, but now it is separated. We must put God and mind together, or we are not qualified to safeguard the unified front. Your minds must be one with God's will. God's will is to save the United States and the whole world. Our will, also, must be to save the whole world. God has advanced forward without vacillating. We must follow God, going straight on. With our mind united with God, our body must become united with our mind.

Our mind is plus to our body, but our mind must be one with God. God's mind and our mind put together must be plus, to attract our body. Then our body must be one with God. Our body has five senses. The five physical senses must function with God's will. In our every nation, we must go steadily on towards the goal set before us by God. In that case, God will abide in us, pushing us towards the goal, the unified front.

However our mind is separated from God and our bodies are separated from our minds. There are two gaps to be breached, but it is difficult for us to fill them. Satan can encroach then, so we must safeguard ourselves. Unifying means that our mind is unified with God. Unity between the three -- God, mind, and body -- is most important. If these three are in harmonious unity, they will be multiplied by give and take action between them, and the four positions will be intact. To safeguard the unified front, first of all we must unify our mind with God and our body with our mind, those three becoming one. You may find yourselves not quite helping God but God is still helping you, and trying hard to create in you unity with Him. When we think of that, we have no time to loose; we cannot afford to think of ourselves. We must be able to use our five senses at any moment for the will of God.

Are your eyes, nose, mouth, and ears functioning for the will of God alone? You should not be seeking the pleasures of your eyes, nose, mouth and ears. Before God you must always say that you are not satisfactory in God's sight, and you have to do more and more. You must become a handful of clay out of which God can make a mold and create another self from you. There's no other way possible.

If you have your own will or goal, God cannot be with you. Your eyes, nose, mouth and all your five senses, your whole body, have satanic elements in them. We must remove these satanic elements. We must leave everything in God's hands. If He pushes us, we will go forward; if He pulls us backwards, we will go that way. In every direction we will be led by God. If you live for yourselves alone, you will be distracted and go astray. The most fearful thing in the whole world is nothing else but you yourselves, because you are the voice of Satan: you are easily dragged away by Satan, and work in accordance with his satanic will.

We have been proclaiming, "Let us safeguard the unified front," but now we find that we have not been safeguarding the unified front, but we have been trying to safeguard by remorse. You must realize that God has been working hard for us, and we are indebted to Him greatly. We must be strongly resolved that from this moment, when 1974 is dawning, we will not let God safeguard us, but we will do the job ourselves. We must be able to save our brothers and sisters, to save our nation and all the nations.

Suppose there is a male being and his mind is entirely one with God, with those two together his body, which is in the objective position, will become one in harmonious unity. He's a perfected man, but he cannot stand all by himself, he needs his mate; there must be a female in the same position with her mind wanting God. After having realized the unity in yourselves, then you must locate a spouse and be united into one. If every girl accomplished unity between the three elements, that kind of ideal son would be multiplied, and there would be no need of safeguarding the unified front because unity is already there.

What about the blessed couples? Are you in perfect unity like that? If you have not realized that much, it means that you are not safeguarding the unified front, but God is safeguarding you, with toil and effort. If in a family either of the two has realized that unity, the other must be in utter obedience to him or her. In the American families, if a husband has a different opinion, the wife can object, and they quarrel with each other. That cannot be done in our blessed couples.

If in a family the husband and wife are one with each other, then the husband as subject and the wife as object become one and play the role of plus towards their children, who are in the position of minus. If the parents and children become one with each other, then the whole thing will become plus, influencing other families. If there is no unity in a family, you are not safeguarding the unified front in your family, but you are having God safeguard your family. That's why he said if you have disunity in your family it will create great trouble for the rest of the world.

If any such family in harmonious unity is created, then that family must play the role of plus to other families in this clan. If all the families in this clan play the role of plus, then other clans must be influenced and absorbed into that clan from the position of object. We call ourselves the Unified Family. If the trunk is there, can the branches and boughs grow in accordance with their own will? If they go astray, they are broken and lose their lives. They must cling to the trunk and get nutrition from the roots through the trunk.

From that viewpoint, are you alive, safely attached to the trunk, in unity? (Yes!) If you are asked to die for this nation and for the whole world, will you be able to do that? (Yes!) While the rest of the world is fast asleep, we must try to unify and come to harmonious oneness here. You don't know at what moment you can become one with yourself. God has His own ideal of what is the best moment to unify the minds of the people, and the one who is already unified with God will have the same opinions as God. You must go in accordance with the will of those unified with God. If our Master is already one with God, you must become one with him and then you will become one with God.

The formation, growth, and perfection stages put together must be in unity. We as individuals must stand on the base of three stages put together. Things come in the number three -- even the division of your fingers. You have two eyes, but they must be focused on one place, the two nostrils on one point. Your upper lip and lower lip sets on one purpose; your ears, too. So, perfection will be brought about at number three. When you hold something with two hands, the object put together becomes number three. That is why the Divine Principle teaches us that everything created is based on number three.

We say we have our body and mind -- that's two-but in our mind there's a part where God can abide, and these three must be one. The leader must be one with God, always. A state representative must first of all become one with God; and then with God and himself put together, playing the role of plus, he must be able to meet and absorb the group as his object. If God's will and the will of our members all over the world become one, then it is easy for us to carry out our missions. Then the whole world will be absorbed and digested. In ourselves, too, our mind is in the position of subject, manipulating our bodies.

But because of the human fall, there's disunity and disharmony. If our mind is firmly one with God, then with us as object it can manipulate the rest of the body, and the body and mind put together can manipulate the rest of the people. In that case, even though your body won't go this way, some force will pull you back to the right direction. God is here, and God and our mind put together are stronger than the physical body. If there's perfect unity and harmony between our mind and body, then this is a perfect object to become one with God. Just try at least for three years to concentrate your efforts on making your mind and body into one, and you will experience God abiding in you, working through you. That's why Principle teaches us that when our mind and body are one, God operates through us.

The Bible teaches us, "Blessed is the peacemaker, for he is the son of God." Peacemaker means to make the people united into one. The principle of safeguarding the unified front is here. Jesus and his spouse must become one; then that family is in the subjective position, and with the children as object the whole family will play the role of subject to other families. That's the theory. If that family can absorb other families in the objective position and become one with them, then that clan can influence other clans, and in this way the whole nation will become one and God will abide there and that nation will be the strongest nation in the whole world.

By being dishonest, by telling lies, you cannot realize God's will. You must know that. You cannot deceive yourselves. In that case, you cannot put your mind and body into one. We must be naked in God's sight leaving everything in God's hands; in that way we can have God working for us. Whatever person I post as your leader, and wherever that leader is posted, the members under him must try to become one with him, and he in turn must become one with God. Wherever I go I hear complaints -- speaking ill of your leaders. In that case, the members under the leader are also playing the role of plus, and two pluses repel one another so disharmony naturally comes.

Two pluses will cancel each other. You must be able to become minus to your leader. In the outside world, too, if you are harmonious with your boss, and are able to please him and do whatever you are told, you are apt to be promoted. If you minister to your leader, and if you are strictly obedient to the leader, and if the leader cannot carry out his mission, he is doomed to be fired from the position, and you may even be elevated to his position. If there is a leader who is not qualified enough for the job, but is temporarily stationed there, and he is a rigid boss over you, but you are strictly obedient even though you are more qualified for the job, and you are working hard under him, that may go on one year, two years, three years. Eventually, the boss cannot remain in that position and you will be promoted to the position in place of him.

God is almighty and omniscient, and He knows what kind of man our leader is. If I'm driving you hard, and giving you orders to do things impossible for you, then God knows that, and God will leave you alone: if you just struggle hard, desperately hard to carry out your job and this person does not do the job and leaves it, making you do it for him, then he will be dismissed. In the early spring you see trees budding out. If you stop where you are, it looks like the buds never grow. But if you advance forward, it is like buds growing in life, flowering and growing. When I want you to do something I do it myself first.

In my past I have experienced a bit of everything. As a laborer, too, I'm first-class. No one can exceed me. I'm almost a champion in wrestling. Those who are ready to be indebted to others will be disliked by others. It is safe for you to be followers instead of being leaders, so don't complain about the leaders. By being followers, you pave your own way and by mastering whatever assignments come to you, you gain more experience for qualification as a future leader. If you are obedient to the leader who is not qualified to be your boss, the people around you will become more and more aware of the fact and recognize your ability If your leader is not qualified enough, just be thankful that your ability can be used and that you can gain experience.

Don't complain while other people around you are complaining. Don't retreat while other people are retreating. If your leader is harsh on you, don't be bitter, just be more obedient to him. When he falls away from his job -- when he's dead -- you must be ready to even put flowers on his tomb. The chosen nation of the Israelites was doomed to perish because they could not become one with the Messiah, the son of God. Christianity did not become one with Jesus and one with their leaders so they are doomed to ruin.

Whether or not the Unification Church will prosper will solely depend on whether or not we become one with each other. If I'm not one with God and you are strictly obedient to my command, then God will either kill me or just remove me from this position. Now you know the secret of safeguarding the unified front. We must be able to restore a whole nation as a unit before God. Would you rather choose a small African country because it is easier to restore or the United States, which has been the leading nation in the democratic world?

This nation is the melting pot of many nations and many races, and the nation has already set the example of unity, in a sense. If in the United States we can have all the population in unity, this pattern can be adopted in other countries. Once asked by Master, members will readily go to their own country to save their nation. A certain number of Jewish people are here; I'm going to send them back to Israel to save that nation. They can do that. The same thing applies to France, England. There's no such nation as the United States where people from so many nationalities are living in harmony. I'm right to have chosen the United States for the job.

In order to influence Americans, I have mobilized many members from many nationalities. If you quarrel with each other, for instance, German people saying, "We can do a better job," and the Americans saying the same thing, and the British, and the French -- you'll quarrel with each other. Then will you be able to carry out the job? If you work in your respective countries, for instance, British people taking care of Britain alone, it is going to be an endless job. But if we mobilize all the followers from all the countries where we have our missionaries, restore this nation, and then restore other nations by mobilizing people from here to the other nations it will be much easier.

It is wonderful for us to have mobilized members from all over the world, and concentrated on the work of the salvation of the United States. Those from other countries don't speak fluent English, but on the frontline, you work harder than the Americans and two or three times as hard as other people. Then God is going to help you three times as much as you deserve. So, either our salvation or restoration of this nation will be three times faster, or the United States will remain in this jam, not being able to work with our group, and then it's doomed to perish.

So, if you members from other nations work hard even though you don't speak the language fluently, and if the people of the United States don't receive you, the blessing bestowed on them will be inherited by you, and like the branch engrafted to you, if you are removed, the blessing will go with you. So you are going to be thieves, robbing them of their blessing. You are in a way thieves, as the Messiah is going to be a thief in the night, coming to save the world. Without people's realizing who you are, they will be either saved or robbed of their spiritual wealth.

In the past years, there have been many people who would be led to us by the spirit side. Some had been in the mountains praying for ten years or more, and some had been training themselves in other religious sects. After coming to us, they would give us their testimony saying they have been doing this and that; they are so proud of themselves in the beginning. I would at once bow down before them and approve of what they say, and say, "I was not as holy as you are. That's true.

You have been starving, you have been clad in rags, and you have not been able to use what you like to have. I will be ready to give you all those things. Take them." But, in my mind, I know clearly on what level -- he or she is still vain on the spiritual level. If I praise the person, he will be proud of himself more and more and he will elevate himself. If he becomes arrogant, I will let him do that three times; then I will give him a way to follow my instructions.

I will tell him that he was sent here to follow me. "Do for me as I have done for you," I will tell him. My command will be strict, and he will be awestruck. Then from that moment I will tell him, "Clean the bathroom." Whatever good things you have accumulated, or done, your merit will be decided when you are humble enough to be ready to inherit that through anything. That is the formula for the established churches. I have been under severe persecution by church ministers and the laymen of so many churches, and I would be silent; after a while, God would help them and encourage them to follow me. Those who called me names and reviled me all the time; all ended up frustrated. Now we have reached the stage where people will think that without our group, they cannot see the salvation of Christian society.

The Korean government needs our Victory over Communism organization, and the Japanese government needs our Japanese chapter of VOC, and the Chinese government needs our Chinese chapter of VOC. The Korean government would want to become one with us and influence Japan and China under them. China would stick to us and would want to influence the Korean and the Japanese government. Japan would want to become one with us and influence the Korean and Chinese governments.

I have been saying that within three years I must make myself and my group well known in the whole country. Three years longer, and people will know of our movement to a certain extent, at least. Looking at America as a whole, we know that there's disunity, disharmony, and corruption. We are determined to turn this nation upside down, and in doing that, we will not want help from God, but we would rather have God help the people of the United States, preparing their minds to receive us. We know that God is a living God. You must know that God is working with us. Our group is entirely one with God's will, and if we are firmly united, then there's nothing to be feared. If you are confident, and if you really have faith in God and pray for healing a certain person, he will be healed. Those who are against you -- persecuting you -- will collapse before your own eyes.

So many millions of people are living in your state, and day and night, sleep or awake, if you think a moment, how to reach out your hands to save those people, and struggle hard, then God will be there, working through you and your project will be a success. So don't try hard to get help from God, but ask Him to go ahead and prepare the minds of the people to receive you and if you are strongly one with God and advance forward without retreating, without stopping, then it'll be easier for you to carry out your mission, and the whole state or people under your command will be absolutely absorbed in you.

You have learned through the Divine Principle that where there is the perfect plus, a perfect minus is sure to be created. When I was in prison, without even speaking a word I could witness to many people. Under persecution, under the bullets in Seoul, the whole spirit world was mobilized to protect me and testify to the people and make members. Father is helping me. He is ready to help me and He is helping you already. But if you are without faith in Him, He cannot do anything. We must come to the conclusion that to safeguard the unified front we should ask God to reach out to the people, and prepare the soil of their hearts.

You must take the initiative to become one with God. Wherever you go, you go with Him. Whatever you seek, you seek with Him. When you sleep, when you work, when you eat, you must feel that you are doing those things with God. If you go on doing things that way, then you will feel the presence of God and feel the hearts of the people with you. You sense the power and presence of God. Suppose you are visiting a village: you immediately grasp the nature of that village. You visit a town and before entering the town, you go up the highest mountain and pray for the whole place.

Then, someone there must be attracted to you and you will find him coming up the hill to you. Where there is a perfect plus, perfect minus is sure to be created. I know you have experienced many such things. Flower sellers, before going out selling flowers, pray hard the night before you go out and you will see that people cling to you, demanding to buy a flower. If you are on the street, ready to witness to the people, you will be God's right person. If you have such experience, you cannot deny the existence of God. That's the natural way, and especially the members of the Unification Church are qualified for that experience. If you pray hard and if you are ready to receive God's guidance, God will work through you.

Those who have seen me even in dreams, hold up your hands. It must be 100 percent. Even you yourselves must be like that. Any great leader who can save the whole country, if he's qualified for that he generally sees -- projects himself spiritually. You leaders must try hard for that.

When you have some information, before coming to me you must realize whether or not it will ease my heart, or cause me distress. When I look at you entering my room I already sense whether or not you have a good report. So, when you make your report, be honest and frank. It is because I have that quality that I can lead the whole group, and I can have the purpose of saving the whole world. If you recognize that qualification in me, just shut your mouth, and without complaining just follow me. You must clearly understand that, in order for us to be able to safeguard the unified front, we must not be indebted to God or anyone else. We must rather have God indebted to us. If we are at all asking God to do something for us, don't try to get His help directly to you, but ask Him to go beyond you and prepare the hearts of the people for you.

In 1965, when I made my first world tour, out of the 120 holy grounds I set up all over the world, 55 were in the United States. Even from that time I knew that I was going to come to this nation and concentrate our efforts here; to save the world from sin. I already calculate that in three years, if we concentrate our whole efforts on our project, then the whole population of the United States will receive us. I have a clear picture of what's going to happen by the years 1977 and 1978. Only I can't speak out now. I have a clear goal, so I've got to drive you hard, even though some of you will be victimized. In war, causalities cannot be avoided.

Are you going to go with me? Are you going to just follow me or are you going to go ahead of me, even pulling me? If I were you, born as an American, I would grab the time, and not let it go. This is the only moment when you can exercise your opportunity. After three years I will no longer be in the United States. So within those three years, you must lay your own foundation. I cannot leave the European nations alone. At that time, American members must be mobilized to help other nations. Within this year, the last one of the three crucial years, you must work hard and do your very best. I have a clear picture of what I'm going to do within this year, so you should observe and carry out every direction from me. In safeguarding the unified front in this last year of three crucial years, you must invest your whole being and focus all your attention. In doing that, don't rely on me. Don't rely on God. Don't have direct help from God, but let Him prepare your way, going ahead of you. And for your part, don't ever be indebted to God, to me, or anyone else.